One-piece drip guard

ABSTRACT

A drip guard made of one-piece construction having an elongated member having a top section, a first angled section, a second angled section, a bottom section, and a downward section that are formed by bending the elongated member at a plurality of transition points. At least a portion of the first and second angled sections engage one another and/or at least a portion of the top section and bottom section engage one another.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a drip guard for a roof and moreparticularly a one-piece drip guard having greater stability.

Drip guards are well-known in the art. Typically, drip guards areattached to a roof so that when it rains, water is directed away fromthe roof and instead directed to drip along rain gutters to protect theroof and the fascia of the building. While useful, many drip guards havemultiple parts, take time to install, and are expensive. Other, moresimple drip guards, lack the stability to withstand certain weatherconditions. Therefore, a need exists in the art for a device thataddresses these deficiencies.

A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a drip guardto eliminate water surface tension, which eliminates water followingback and coming down between the fascia and gutter on a house and notgoing into the rain gutter.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a drip guardhaving one-piece construction.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a drip guardthat is easy to install.

Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a dripguard having greater stability and durability.

These and other objectives will be apparent based on the followingwritten description, drawings, and claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A drip guard made of one-piece construction having an elongated memberhaving a top section, a first angled section, a second angled section, abottom section, and a downward section that are formed by bending theelongated member at a plurality of transition points. At least a portionof the first and second angled sections engage one another and/or atleast a portion of the top section and bottom section engage oneanother.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a drip guard.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a drip guard

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the figures, a drip guard 10 is used in relation to a roof12 for a building having a rake 14 and a fascia 16. The drip guard 10,made of one-piece construction, has an elongated member 17, a topsection 18 attached to the rake 14 with a fastening member 20, such as anail or the like. The top section 18 has a top edge 22, a pair of sideedges 24, a top surface 26, and a bottom surface 28 that partiallyengages the rake 14. The top section 18 extends outwardly from thefascia 16 to a first transition point 30 and maintains the angle of therake 14.

At transition point 30, the drip guard 10 is bent downwardly andoutwardly from the fascia 16 to form a first angled section 32. Thefirst angled section 32 has an outer surface 34 and an inner surface 36.The first angled section 32 terminates at a second transition point 38where the drip guard is folded back to form a second angled section 40having a first surface 42 and a second surface 44. The second angledsection 40 preferably is pinched so that at least a portion of the firstsurface 42 engages inner surface 36 of the first angled section 32. Thesecond angled section 40 generally follows the angle of the first angledsection and terminates at a third transition point 46. Preferably, thethird transition point 46 engages and nest within the first transitionpoint 30.

Extending from the third transition point 30 to a fourth transitionpoint 48 is a bottom section 50. The bottom section 50 has a top surface52 that preferably engages at least a portion of the bottom surface 28of top section 18. Bottom section 50 generally follows the angle of thetop section 18.

Extending from the fourth transition point 48 downwardly to a bottomedge 52 is a downward section 54. Preferably, the fourth transitionpoint 48 and/or at least a portion of the downward section 54 engage thefascia 16. In one embodiment, the bottom portion 56 of downward section54 is bent outwardly and away from fascia 16.

Thus, a drip guard has been disclosed that at the very least meets allthe stated objectives.

What is claimed:
 1. A drip guard, comprising: an elongated member havinga top section with a bottom surface that extends outwardly from a topedge and a fascia to a first transition point; a first angled sectionthat extends downwardly and outwardly from the first transition point toa second transition point; a second angled section that extends from thesecond transition point to a third transition point; and a bottomsection having a top surface extending from the third transition pointand having at least a portion of the top surface of the bottom sectionengaging, the bottom surface of the top section.
 2. The guard of claim 1wherein at least a portion of the first angled section engages thesecond angled portion.
 3. The guard of claim 1 wherein the bottomsection extends to a fourth transition point.
 4. The guard of claim 3wherein a downward section extends from a fourth transition point to abottom edge.
 5. The guard of claim 4 wherein a bottom portion of thedownward section is bent outwardly away from the fascia.
 6. The dripguard of claim 1 wherein the second angled section is pinched such thatat least a portion of a first surface of the second angled sectionengages an inner surface of the first angled section.
 7. The drip guardof claim 1 wherein the bottom section aligns with the angle of the topsection.
 8. The drip guard of claim 1 wherein the bottom surface of thetop section partially engages a rake.